Pickup divider attachment for grain binders



y 1942 F. J. 'BETZ ET AL 2,283,528

' ,PICK'UP DIVIDER ATTACHMENT FOR GRAIN BINDERS Filed April 12, 1940 ATTORNEY.

Patented May 19, 1942 PICKUP DIVIDER ATTACHMENT FOR GRAIN BINDERS Frank J. Betz and Michael A. Betz, Gaza, Iowa Application April 12, 1940, Serial No. 329,330

4 Claims.

Our invention pertains to a device usable principally with grain binders or harvesting machines.

An object of our invention is to provide a divider attachment as well as a guard for the cutter bar of a binder etc.

A further object of our invention is to provide an attachment which breaks away tangled growths and which includes efiicient means for attachment of the arrangement to the binder platform.

A further object of our invention is to provide divider attachments or guards which will cover a substantial width of the cutter bar, leaving only certain areas for cutting purposes.

A further object of our invention is to provide means for attachment of the arrangement to the standard guard members of the reciprocating cutter and to provide means for conveying the grain downwardly on to the moveable platform of the binder etc.

A further object of our invention is to provide the above mentioned features in a construction which is simple to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in the construction-arrangement and combination of the various parts of our device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in our claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a plan view of a portion of a binder platform below the reel thereof showing the attachment of our device.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken substantially along the lines 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section taken along the lines .44 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a modification taken along the lines 55 of Figure 6, and

Figure 6 is a section taken along the lines 6-6 of Figure 5.

In harvesting soy beans and similar crops,-the overhanging stalks will usually hang together and will block the cutting sickle and guards since they tangle in the same. To guard against this, provide a certain device which will spread the entangled portions apart so that the cutting operaof travel or in the row itself will do the actual j platform l3. Attached adjacent to the platform I3 is a channel l4 upon which is mounted the reciprocating sickle [5 which moves within the pointed guard members I6, the entire arrangement of which is attached to the bar IT.

The divider attachment orthe guards are indicated by the character l8 and include the forward downwardly sloping portions l9 and the rearward downwardly sloping portions 20 which rear portions 20 terminate above the member I l. The forward end of the guard l8 include the rounded nose 2| and the guards I8 include side bevelled portions 22.

Attached at 23 to the portion I8 is the member 24 to which is attached at 25 the angle member 26 having the vertical portion 21. Spaced transversely and at equal intervals. along the vertical portion 21 are a series of openings 28 which are adapted to receive the points of the guards l6 which extend therethrough as shown in Figure 2. Since the guards I6 taper, they can be placed into these openings up to the maximum thickness accommodating the same which will assist to hold the member l8 in rigid position. A further angle member 29 is rigidly attached to the vertical portion 21 and includes the lower flange 30 which lower flange includes a series of openings 3|. Received through two of the openings 3| is the U bolt 32 into which is received the lengthened rod 33.

The rod 33 extends into the upwardly inclined portion 34, thence into the vertical portion 35 and thence into the further horizontal portion 36 which is pivotally attached at 31 to the portion l9 of the member I8. The rear end of the rod 33 extends into the portion 38 which is attached to a further substantially U shaped member 39 having ends received at 40' through the cross plate 4|, which is attached to the'fixed portions 4 of the binder.

The ends 43 of the member 39 are threaded and receive the nuts 44 thereon. It-will be seen from the foregoing construction that the guard 18 is supported and rests upon the sickle guards I6 and when the nut 44 are drawn upon the U bolt 39, the entire arrangement is securely clamped against the base member l3 and the guards so that in efiect a rigid structure is provided. The character 45 represents the usual wheel structure supporting the unit, and it will justment since the ends of the U bolt 32 can be placed in any pairs of openings with the arrangement in Figures 3 and 4 being in the center pair.

The U bolt arrangement, however, can be placed in the central and extreme right hand openings or the central and extreme left hand openings as shown in Figure 4 to permit such lateral adjustments. The openings in the transverse plate 4| can also be formed in the. same manner to permit of this adjustment.

As-the machine travelsinthe direction offthe arrow 41, it will be noted that. the bendbetween' the portions-34' and 35 on the rod 33. provide a" runner'effect to allow the easy passage. through the field. The nose 2| also provides this feature.

and the further portions 48 adjacent the nose 2| are rounded to allow passage through the stalks in a simple and eificient manner- It will be seen from Figure 1 that as the machine travels forwardly, it will be noted that the guards I8 block off certain portions of thesickle arrangement leaving only those widths at 49' which will cut the stalks.

Meanwhile, during progress of the machine, however, the guard members l8 are separating ,the tangled growths which pass smoothly over the smooth contours of the guards; Also the cut material which is handled by the sickles will pass on to the-movingplatformifl and thedownwardly extending portions 20' of the guards l8 will have the. tendency to allow the cut grain to travel down the incline which is adjacent to the guards so that as a result, the guards concentrate the cutting only to the? rows desired and permit passage of material uniformly.

Itwill be understood that the portions 49 will travelalon'g' the rows to be cut so that in this manner, the spacing. can also be as desired.

A further preferredmodification of our arrangement is shown in Figures and 6 in which most of the same features are employed as heretofore described with the exception, however, that instead of providing openings in the vertical member 21, the spacing members 50 are provided each of which include the pairs of openings 5|.

A pair of spacers 52' (see Figure 5) are posi-,

tioned between the members 50'and the flange 21 through which passes the bolts 53. In this form of structure the pointed guards IE will pass through openings 5| but will not penetrate through the portions 21 but will abut thereagainst and will be further supported by the openings5l. This permits of more convenient adjustment; If desired, the bolts can pass through the slotted arrangement as shown by the dotted structure at 54 in Figure 6 to permit for horizontal adjustment and vertical slots can be provided if. necessary in the flange 2'! to permit of vertical adjustment. Small openings. are provided at 55 in the member 29 to. receive the ends'ofthe guards I6.

By virtue of this structure, only the two outer sickle guards need be employed for the bracing and supporting function, with the remainder of the guards resting against the flange 21. This arrangement is preferred since it allows for more convenient adaptation to sickle guards without fixing of too many centralized points as required by the structure shown in Figure 3 and permits more convenient adjustment as explained. The guards l8 terminate in vertical sides 26 to protect against stalks along the sides of the rows.

The guards l8 can be removed and replaced on any series of sickle guards and in harvesters or any structure not utilizing sickle guards, a pair of braces such as indicated by the character 51 in Figurev 1 can be clamped beneath the platform to secure the guards;

It will now be seen that we have provided an attachment for grain binders and similar machines which acts as a guard for the cutting members, which breaks away tangled stalks and the like, which can be adjusted laterally, and which includes means for efflcient clamping .of the divide heads onto such machines. It will be seen further that we have provided an arrangement which can be manufactured simply.

Some changes may be made in the constructionand arrangement of the parts of our invention without departing from the real spirit and purposeof our invention, and it is our intention to cover by our claims any modified. forms of structure: or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

We claim asv our invention:

1. In combination with a grain binder and the traveling beltthereof comprising a tapering head member, said member diverging rearwardly toward the binder platform, and including a transverse, flange having openings adapted to receive tapered sickle guards, means for bracing. said head. member against, the platform, said head includinga forward sloping portion and a rearward sloping portion, said rearward portion positioned adjacently to the binder traveling belt,

2. In combination with a grain binder and the traveling, belt thereof comprising a tapering head member, said member diverging rearwardly toward the binder platform, and including a transverse flange having openingsadapted to. receive tapered sickle guards, means for bracing said head member against the platform, said head including a forward sloping portion and a rearward sloping portion, said rearward portion positioned adjacently to the binder traveling belt, a rod pivoted to said head member and extending beneath the binder platform, a U bolt brace receiving said rod and attached to said transverse flange, means for permitting lateral shifting of said rod including a further flange member attached to the flange having a plurality of openings receiving the ends of said U bolt brace.

3. A divider and guard attachment for binders comprising a substantially triangular shaped head member having rearwardly diverging sides, said member including a transverse flange, against which the binder sickle guards are adapted to rest, a pair of plates having openings spaced from said flange adapted to receive certain of said sickle guards, means for maintaining said plates in fixed spaced relation from said flange, means for bracing said head member against the binder platform including a rod pivoted to said head member and extending beneath the binder platform, means for attaching said rod rearwardly of said platform, including U bolts attached to the rear end of said rod, a keep plate receiving said U bolts, the ends of said U bolts being threaded, nuts being engaged therewith, a U bolt brace receiving said rod and attached to said transverse flange.

4.7 In combination with a grain binder and the traveling belt thereof comprising a substantially triangular shaped head member having the base of the triangle thereof positioned over a plurality ing said rod against the rear end of the binder platform, said head member including a transverse flange, a pair of plates having openings spaced from said flange, said openings adapted to receive tapered sickle guards, means for maintaining spacing of said plates from said transverse flange in fixed relation, said head member including a forward slopingportion and a rearward sloping portion, said rearward portion posiof sickle guards, means for clamping the base 10 tioned adjacently to the binder traveling belt.

portion thereof to the sickle guards, a bracing rod pivoted to the head member and extending beneath the binder platform, means for clamp- FRANK J. BETZ. MICHAEL A. BE'TZ. 

